Talking
by Forest Prince
Summary: A passionate psychiatrist tries to reach out to a troubled 1st grader.


Day 1

Hello Chris, do you mind if I call you Chris?

Yes.

Yes...you don't mind?

No.

...No what?

No.

No what Chris?

My name is Christian.

Oh...you don't like Chris?

...

Does your mom call you Chris?

No.

Just Christian?

My name is Christian.

Yes I know. I know.

…

So...Christian. My name is Thomas Brown. You can just call me Tom.

…

Do you want to talk about anything? School? Your mom and dad? Your little brother?

…

What is your brothers name?

Gabriel

That's a good name. Like the angel Gabriel? Did you give him that name?

Yeah.

You did! That's cool! What did your mom and dad want to call him?

...Luke.

You don't like Luke?

...no.

I like Gabriel better too.

...yeah.

…

…

Is there a Luke at your school Christian?

...Yes.

…

…

Is he in your class?

Yes.

…

Is he older than you?

Yes.

He is? How old is he?

Seven or eight.

Eight? That's too old for first grade huh?

Yeah.

So...why don't you like him.

…

Is he mean to you?

I don't know.

…

…

You can tell me Christian.

…

Okay. Well tell me more about Gabriel. Can he walk yet?

…

Does he cry a lot?

…

Okay.

Day 2

How is swim going Christian? Your mom told me you are on a swim team.

…

I did swim too.

…

I couldn't do anything else. I tired basket ball but I couldn't shoot and I didn't like running

…

All the other kids would call me Turtle Tom cause I was so slow at running.

...I don't like basketball.

Yeah. It's kinda fun to watch though right?

My dad watches basketball.

Do you watch with him?

...sometimes.

…

Sometimes...

What's your favorite thing to watch?

The news.

...Really? You like to watch the news?

And Charles Stanley.

Charles Stanley?

A pastor...from Georgia.

Yeah I know him. You watch church service on T.V.?

…

That's cool. I like Charles Stanley.

...yeah.

…

...

Do you go to church a lot?

No. We never get to go.

…

Dad doesn't like church.

Does your mom go sometimes.

No.

Have you ever gone to church?

One time.

…

With Michael.

Where does he go to church?

I don't know.

...I go to a baptist church with my wife.

Charles Stanley's church is baptist.

Yeah. It's very popular.

…

I like your socks. Those are cool socks.

…

I wish I had socks like those.

…

Purple and yellow. I just have white.

…

And black. BORING!

Hmmhm

Yeah it's pretty boring.

…

I asked your mom about Luke. She said she's never heard of him.

…

What...what is he like?

I don't know.

…

He..um...is tall...

Taller than you? Cause you're pretty tall Christian.

He's tall.

Does he do swim?

...no.

…

He has black hair and blue eyes.

…

…

You have blond hair and brown eyes.

…

Like me kinda.

He's not like me.

What's he like Christian?

…

Is he mean to you?

...no.

No?

Not really.

Does he talk to you.

Sometimes.

…

…

What does he say?

...I don't know.

You don't?

No.

Well he has to say something.

…

What does he say?

…

Day 3

Hey Christian!

Hello Mr. Brown.

You can call me Tom. Remember?

Mom said to say 'hello Mr. Brown'.

Well you can tell her I said you can call me Tom.

…

So. How was school?

Okay.

Tell me about your friends.

Well...there's Benjamin...and Taylor.

What are they like? Are they nice?

Yeah.

…

...

Are you sure?

Yes.

Do you play with them at recess?

Sometimes.

What do you play?

Hide and seek.

Really? That's fun!

…

Is it fun?

Yes.

...are you sure?

Well...sometimes.

…

…

Are you good at hiding?

...yeah

…

A lot of times, they can't find me.

They can't find you a lot?

Yeah.

Do they every come and find you?

...no

So they tell you to go hide and they never come find you?

…

They just leave you?

…yes.

I don't think you should play with them anymore Christian.

Yeah.

Did you play with them today?

Yeah.

Does...Luke play with you guys?

...sometimes...he wasn't there today.

He wasn't?

No. He was mad.

Mad?

Yeah. So he stayed home.

Why was he mad?

…

Who told you he was mad?

…

Who are his friends?

He doesn't have any friends.

...He doesn't? Really?

No.

Is that because he's older?

I don't know...

…

He doesn't talk to anyone.

…

…

Does the teacher like him?

No. She doesn't like him.

Why?

Cause he talks in class.

So he does talk.

To me.

What does he say?

…

Do you talk back?

Sometimes. He gets me in trouble.

What do you two talk about?

…

…

I don't know.

You don't know, or you don't want to tell me.

...I don't know.

I won't tell anyone.

...

I promise you can tell me. He won't find out.

…

…

…

Did you watch Charles Stanley today?

…

Are those new socks?

Day 4

You're late Christian. Did something happen?

…

Are you okay?

…

Now those have got to be new socks. I haven't seen teal and brown before.

…

The happy faces are cool too.

...

Your mom said something happened at school. And you had a meeting with the Principal.

…

She said you got into a fight at school.

…

And the Principal thinks that it is your fault.

…

I don't think it's your fault. You don't look like you would start a fight.

Benjamin called me stupid and weird.

And you punched him?

No.

…

He spat in my hair and called me a bitch.

…

Luke hit him with a bat.

Did you tell the Principalthat?

...no.

Why isn't Luke in trouble?

He told me to say I hit him.

But you didn't.

…

Why did you say that it was you?

…

Why...why did Luke hit him? Did he call Luke names too?

No.

Why did Luke hit him?

I don't know.

Did Luke...hit you? He didn't right?

No.

Christian, why did you say that you hit Benjamin?

…

It wasn't your fault.

He said that it was my fault.

Who did?

Luke.

You said before that Luke gets you in trouble with the teacher a lot.

...yeah.

Does he blame you for things a lot.

...yes.

Like what else?

…

What else has he done?

Nothing.

You can tell me.

…

Does he hurt people a lot, and blame you?

No.

No?

…

You said that he doesn't have any friends.

He doesn't talk to anyone.

But he talks to you.

…

And tells you to do things.

No. Today was the first time.

Then what does he say?

...I don't know.

…

…

What do you mean?

I don't know what he's saying.

Like...like he speaks a different language?

...kindof.

Do you know what language?

No.

What does it sound like? What kind of words does he say?

It sounds like...screaming.

Screaming?

No...

What...what does it sound like? Does it sound like screaming?

…

Why are you crying?

...he...he...

What?

He...

What does he do?

…

…

…

Why are you crying Christian?

…

Please tell me.

…

Christian, you're crying blood.

Day 5

...

Day 6

It's good to see you Christian. How are you.

…

How is swim going?

…

Anything good on the news?

…

Did you watch Stanley last night?

…

It was a good one.

…

A new one.

…

How's school?

I didn't go to school.

No? Because of Benjamin?

...yes.

So, what did you do today? Just hang out?

Sleep.

How did you sleep.

…

Did you sleep okay?

...no.

Did you...have a nightmare?

...yes.

Do you want to talk about it?

I don't know...

…

Luke was there.

In your dream?

…

What did he say?

...he wasn't in my dream.

What...he wasn't?

…

Was he...in your house? In your room?

…yes.

Are you sure you didn't dream that he was in your room?

…

No?

…

Did he say anything?

…

Did he talk to you?

…

What did he say?

..he...he said not to talk to you.

Luke knows about me?

He said not to talk to you.

Why not?

…

Why not Christian?

He doesn't like you.

Did he say anything else?

…

Christian?

…

Christian? Did he say anything else?

…

Did he do anything to you?

…

Christian?

…

Are you okay?

…

Christian?

…

Christian?

...he's...heh

...what?

…

Christian?

…

CHRISTIAN!

…

JENNA! CALL 911!

Day 7

...

Day 8

...

Day 9

...

Day 10

Hey there.

...hi...

I haven't seen you in a while.

Yeah.

You got sick.

Yeah.

But you feel better now?

Yeah.

So what's been going on?

The Spurs won last night.

Yeah I saw a Spurs fan?

I guess so.

Dad likes the Spurs?

Yes.

He wanted to play for them.

That's cool!

Yeah.

Did you see what happened in Georgia? That flood?

Yeah.

That's right where Charles Stanley is.

Yeah. But he's okay though.

That's good then.

…

The doctors said that you were hurt. They said you had some bruises.

…

Are those from Benjamin?

…

Did he hit you?

...no.

Who hit you?

…

Are they from Luke? Did Luke hit you?

…

…

…

The purple and yellow ones again huh?

...yeah.

I like those the best.

Me too.

I just have white.

And black ones.

That's right. But I don't mismatch them like you do. That's kinda cool.

Maybe you should buy new ones.

Probably. That would be smart huh?

Yeah.

You go to school today?

...yeah.

Anything happen?

Benjamin wasn't there.

That's good right?

Yeah.

Was...Luke there?

…

Was he in class?

…

I really think we should talk about it.

…

Did he talk to you? About me again?

…

Does your arm itch?

...kind of.

Okay. I have something to put on it if you

NO!

…

…

Okay.

…

Did he talk to you?

No.

He left you alone? That's good.

No.

No? What did he do?

...I don't know.

…

He followed me.

Followed you?

Again.

Again?

…

Are you sure you don't anything for your arm?

I'm fine.

Okay, okay. Um...so he followed you? And he's done that before?

…

Is...is there something there?

What?

You're looking around like there's something there.

No.

...are you sure.

Yeah.

…

…

What happened with Luke?

…

He followed you home.

Yeah.

Did he go inside?

Yeah.

…

…

Did your mom see him?

No. He was hiding.

Hiding where?

In my room.

Your room?

He hides there a lot.

What does he do in your room?

Talks to me.

And says what?

...I don't know.

Did he talk about me?

No.

Did he talk about Benjamin?

No.

What did he say.

I don't understand what he says.

He was screaming again.

…

Christian. What do you do when he talks to you?

…

What do you do when he screams at you?

…

What's wrong with your arm?

…

What's wrong with your arm?

…

Is that blood?

…

Take off your shirt.

…

Take off your shirt Christian.

…

Oh God...who did that to you?

…

Who...who cut you like that?

…

What's that?

…

L. U. C. What is L. U. C.?

It spells Luke.

Luc? As in...Lucifer?

...

Where is Luke now Christian.

…

Is he in your room?

...no.

Where is he?

…

Is he in here?

…

Is he in here?

yes.

…

…

…

Where is he?

Next to me.

What is he doing?

...talking.


End file.
